Ready for Your Closeup, Washington Film Industry?

Seattle has gone through a long history of ups and downs in trying to establish itself as a destination market for filmmaking in and around The Emerald City. From the 1980s through the early 2000s, many high-profile films and television shows featured Seattle as the setting of their productions (ex. Sleepless in Seattle, Harry and the Hendersons, The Ring, The Vanishing, Singles, Twin Peaks, and Rose Red).  

Since the 1990s, states around the country have offered increasingly competitive and attractive financial incentives to lure productions to their local economies. Movie production incentive packages are tax incentives offered on a state-by-state basis throughout the US to encourage in-state film production. Unfortunately, as we entered the 21st century, Washington State Legislature decided not to compete in a serious way. And not surprisingly, film production dried up significantly in Seattle, as production companies increasingly chose to take their productions to cities like Portland, OR, and Vancouver, BC. Both cities offered tax incentives far more enticing than those of Seattle’s, whose package paled in comparison to Portland’s and fared even worse compared to what Vancouver, BC, offers.

But all of this appears to be on the cusp of a significant change, which could give a big boost to Seattle’s local economy, thanks to three factors.

Harbor Island Studios / Washington Filmworks

First, King County Executive Dow Constantine championed a comprehensive plan to establish an arts-forward infrastructure in Seattle that included the development of what is known as the Creative Economy. The goal of boosting the Creative Economy is to sustain and expand King County’s creative communities, with a special focus on the film, music, and event industries.

Second, Constantine’s plan to boost the Creative Economy included the remodeling, retrofitting, and upscaling of the former Fisher Flour Mill on Seattle’s Harbor Island. This facility, appropriately called the Harbor Island Studios, was the County’s first major public investment to revitalize a once-thriving film industry and bring back good jobs to folks who live and work in the region (which is still rebounding in the wake of the pandemic). Harbor Island Studios is located minutes from downtown Seattle and has been converted, through investments and support from King County, into the 117,000 sq. ft. film production facility. It could easily serve as the Creative Economy’s superpower and add a significant boost to Seattle’s overall economy.

Third, in addition to the push from King County, a bipartisan bill that Governor Jay Inslee signed into state law in March of 2022 increased the annual tax break cap for filmmakers to $15 million, quadrupling the limit to the amount of money that Washington businesses could deductively donate to support the state’s film industry. The legislation brought Washington’s moviemaking tax breaks up from one of the lowest in the country to almost on par with Oregon’s successful film industry tax incentive program. This is a vital step to help grow film production in our state and keep it here, instead of losing homegrown Washington stories to other film industry markets like Oregon and Canada.

“This is about making a smart public investment to help this creative industry grow and thrive here in King County. We don’t want Vancouver or Portland—or Atlanta—to keep serving as Seattle’s stand-in. We’re ready to spotlight the amazing talent of our region.” —Dow Constantine, King County Executive, re: Harbor Island Studios.

How does film production help a city’s economy? Production for a single movie can include a team of hundreds of people (cast, crew, and staff). During a several months-long film shoot, this large team of personnel would infuse money directly into the local economy for food, transportation, lodging, entertainment, services, equipment purchases and rentals, and patronizing the many tourist attractions or outdoor activities that the Pacific Northwest boasts.

In fact, according to data from Washington Filmworks, a non-profit organization that manages the Motion Picture Competitiveness program as well as a diversity of resources for the creative industries in Washington State: “For every dollar awarded in funding assistance [from the film incentive program], the approved production generates an estimated $10 of economic activity in our statewide economy, and motion picture has touched every district in the state.” And when one considers a $15 million tax incentive package producing a 10-1 return, dollar for dollar, that starts to add up significantly for a city’s economic growth potential. One of the stipulations in the program requires that all funds awarded to a given production may only be used for employee benefits or costs associated with the film’s production, ensuring that the only beneficiaries of each production are the workers, performers, local small businesses, and others connected directly with the film.

According to a report released in March 2024 from the Washington State Department of Commerce (and produced with the assistance of the Creative Economy Strategic Work Group and lead contractor Western States Arts Federation), “The creative sector accounts for nearly 20% of Washington’s total economic production… [contributes] nearly $120 billion annually to the state GDP, and provides a strategic pathway for future growth of this key industry sector.” Commerce Director Mike Fong also said, “Washington State is a world leader in creative sector jobs.”

These compelling numbers and the comprehensive support for our creative economy indicate the possibility of a bright economic future for The Evergreen State and the more than 70,000 creative workers who are ready to play a starring role as key drivers of our economy.